Marianne is a 2011 Swedish horror film, directed by Filip Tegstedt, that premiered at the 2011 Fantasia International Film Festival on August 2, 2011.[1]

The film is set in the town of Östersund, in the Jämtland region to the north of Sweden, and focuses on the mental state of Krister, a man who is left to raise a newborn baby whilst coping with a teenage daughter who blames him for the recent death of his wife. [2] In the midst of his psychological turmoil, Krister suffers from terrible nightmares and becomes convinced that his troubles may be the work of a Mare that is haunting him.[3]

Sandra Larsson as Sandra, the daughter of Krister and Eva who resents her father for cheating on her Mother.

Plot

The life of Krister has become an unending nightmare, ever since his wife's death. There seems to be no respite for this man, tormented by the errors of his past and held prisoner by a grim daily existence. Not only must he raise his newborn child alone, he must also contend with the mood swings of his older daughter Sandra, a rebellious youth harboring deep animosity towards her father, blaming him for all the ills that have befallen the family. Faced with such difficult circumstances, Krister is slowly losing his grip on himself, which threatens the teaching career he exhibits a waning interest in. The mental health of this damaged man is deteriorating and those around him have reason to be concerned. Especially because, for some time now, Krister has been plagued by night terrors, his fitful slumber intruded upon by a mysterious woman with dark designs on him. He initially believes these visions are a symptom of serious post-traumatic shock. Krister does, after all, have a number of skeletons in his closet that gnaw at his conscience. It gradually becomes evident that this nocturnal visitor may be supernatural. Whether or not anyone believes it, he knows that a creature from folklore has placed a curse on him. And now, true calamity will descend on Krister and those close to him.

Reception

Marianne has received a stream of positive reviews. Garry McConnachie of MCMBUZZ wrote that "director Tegstedt gets his character development spot on and his use of sound and visuals ensure viewers will be on the edge of their seats when it’s required", and that "Marianne is an extremely accomplished debut that will get under the skin". [4] Kurt Halfyard of Twitch described Marianne as "a film that subtly uses the language of domestic drama to craft a realistic and true horror film", and also noted that this "is a brave thing to attempt with a first feature". Kurt Halfyard was so impressed that he added "Somebody, please, get Guillermo del Toro in contact with Filip Tegstedt because here is a young director with the chops to make a The Devil's Backbone or a Pan's Labyrinth if he were given the finances and freedom to do so. In fact, he may well already have done the former with Marianne." [5]

In his description of Marianne on the Fantasia Festival website, Simon Laperrière described Marianne as "an unusually potent piece of work. As poignant as it is petrifying, it’s one of the great discoveries in genre cinema this year". [6]